[dotnet00]

I think saying they're not looking good might be a bit of an exaggeration. Technological developments in both high energy physics and astrophysics stuff are in-between generations of technology right now, which is why things are a bit slower than usual.

With astrophysics, we're probably going to need the more sensitive gravitational wave detectors that are in development to become operational for new big breakthroughs. With high energy physics, many particle colliders and synchrotron light sources seem to be undergoing major upgrades these days. While particle colliders tend to get the spotlight in the public eye and are in a weird spot regarding the expected research outcomes, light sources are still doing pretty well afaik.

This Nobel I think is mainly because AI has overwhelmingly dominated the public's perception of scientific/technological progress this year.

[T-A]

> With high energy physics, many particle colliders and synchrotron light sources seem to be undergoing major upgrades these days.

AFAIK synchrotron light sources are tools for materials science and other applied fields, not high energy physics. Did I miss something?

I am also puzzled by the "many particle colliders". There is currently only one capable of operating at the high energy frontier. It's getting a luminosity upgrade [1] which will increase the number of events, but those will still be the 14 TeV proton-proton collisions it's been producing for years. There is some hope that collecting more statistics will reveal something currently hidden in the background noise, but I wouldn't bet on it.

[1] https://home.cern/science/accelerators/high-luminosity-lhc

[dotnet00]

>AFAIK synchrotron light sources are tools for materials science and other applied fields, not high energy physics. Did I miss something?

When you put it like that, yeah, I was kinda being stupid. During my stint doing research at a synchrotron light source I was constantly told to focus on thinking like a physicist (rather than as a computer engineer) and most of the work of everyone who wasn't a beamline scientist was primarily physics focused, which is what led me to think that way. But you're right in that it might not make much sense for me to say that makes them high energy physics research tools first.

>I am also puzzled by the "many particle colliders". There is currently only one capable of operating at the high energy frontier. It's getting a luminosity upgrade [1] which will increase the number of events, but those will still be the 14 TeV proton-proton collisions it's been producing for years. There is some hope that collecting more statistics will reveal something currently hidden in the background noise, but I wouldn't bet on it.

The RHIC is also in the process of being upgraded to the EIC. But overall, yes, that's why I said they were in a 'weird' spot. I too am not convinced that the upgrades will offer Nobel-tier breakthroughs.